New Black Velvet Angel

ezhoops

New member
Just got a 3" Black Velvet Angel and is currently in QT with Cupramine. I am already worried about getting him to eat. He is very very shy. Any tips or tricks to get him to eat or stay out?

Keeping fingers crossed, he's a beauty.

Pics will come soon
 
Personlly I would remove the Cuprmine. Copper based treatment can some time reduce appetite. I never treat with copper based treatments for the first week or until the fish is eatting well, unless needed.
 
Personlly I would remove the Cuprmine. Copper based treatment can some time reduce appetite. I never treat with copper based treatments for the first week or until the fish is eatting well, unless needed.

Yes, do not treat unless there is a reason to treat.
 
Couldn't agree more but now that the fish is in there I would remove the copper by doing very small water changes with water from your DT. This will reduce the concentration of copper in the water column and begin the process of acclimating the fish to its eventual home.

As for getting the fish to eat simply try a wide variety of foods until you find one it will eat. I'd also put some nori on a clip and leave it in the tank.

Mike
 
Couldn't agree more but now that the fish is in there I would remove the copper by doing very small water changes with water from your DT. This will reduce the concentration of copper in the water column and begin the process of acclimating the fish to its eventual home.

As for getting the fish to eat simply try a wide variety of foods until you find one it will eat. I'd also put some nori on a clip and leave it in the tank.

Mike


Polyfilters or carbon will remove the copper too :).
 
I'm treating because he has an large white spot on his side.

Are you sure it's not Lymphocystis. Generally a single large white spot will be Lymphocystis. This is common for angelfish, especially with Black Velvet Angels. Copper will do nothing for Lymphocystis, it is a viral disease.
 
Are you sure it's not Lymphocystis. Generally a single large white spot will be Lymphocystis. This is common for angelfish, especially with Black Velvet Angels. Copper will do nothing for Lymphocystis, it is a viral disease.


not sure, how do I treat for this viral infection
 
Lymphocystis, can only be removed manually, there is no treatment. It will go away in time if left alone. Most likely is do to poor water conditions. It will not kill your fish :).
 
Thank you.

I have all my fish in Qt due to ich outbreak, so that is another reason why I placed in QT. They have been in QT for 2 weeks with cupramine.
 
Thank you.

I have all my fish in Qt due to ich outbreak, so that is another reason why I placed in QT. They have been in QT for 2 weeks with cupramine.

Cupramine is a great treatment and I treat all my fish with it. Just make sure they are eatting well before treating ;).
 
Yes, do not treat unless there is a reason to treat.


This is very BAD advice and not something I would have expected to come from your fingertips compaired to all the great advice I always see you give.

You are actually telling the OP to not be proactive in his reefkeeping endevoirs. While angels are better treated with other meds or methods then copper, proactively treating is a very benificial for all of the livestock within that system. Just because you do not see anything now does not mean that that fish is not carrying something that will be passed along to it's new tank mates. I proactively treat all incomers for that very reason.

I started salt in 1995 and never proactively treated until 2009 when one fish brought something in and it killed everything. Now I proactively treat all newbies.
 
This is very BAD advice and not something I would have expected to come from your fingertips compaired to all the great advice I always see you give.

You are actually telling the OP to not be proactive in his reefkeeping endevoirs. While angels are better treated with other meds or methods then copper, proactively treating is a very benificial for all of the livestock within that system. Just because you do not see anything now does not mean that that fish is not carrying something that will be passed along to it's new tank mates. I proactively treat all incomers for that very reason

I understand where youre coming from, but very much disagree. Would you take antibiotics without knowing what disease you had- if any? Medications are often misused in aquariums, and can lead to resistant strains of various pathogens (from bacteria to ich), and can have adverse affects on the animal's immune system leading to greater problems down the line (think increased susceptibility to bacterial infections after prolonged exposure to copper).

I always suggest that people QT their fish and begin simply by observing the animal. If there are signs of a specific issue- target that problem. Most "general" cures are ineffective anyhow. The Only exception I make to that rule is the use of Prazi. Gut worms are a common problem with virtually all wild fish, and the treatment doesn't seem to endanger the fish in any way. I deworm every fish I get right away.

To the OP: throw in a polyfilter, or something similar, to remove the copper. As far as feeding goes, you may want to pick up some live clams/mussels at the grocery store, split them open, and toss one or two into the tank. It's a great way to get many finicky fish (esp angels and butterflies) to start eating. Just watch your water quality, as clam juice will foul it really quickly. You can try rubberbanding a strip of nori to a rock and putting it in the tank. If it's a smaller angel, try cutting the edge of the nori into a fine fringe so it wont have to work too hard to tear off a piece. If he has to put a lot of effort into eating, it'll probably just give up.
 
Last edited:
I have to agree with Snorvich on this. I wouldn't treat any fish unless you have symptomatic evidence that there is a problem. The reason that we keep fish in a QT is so that we can observe them for symptoms of illness or infestation and treat as necessary. That's why it's so important to keep the fish in quarantine for such a long time. It gives time for symptoms to present so that treatment can begin. I wouldn't treat a healthy fish with copper for the same reason I wouldn't undergo chemotherapy unless I had cancer.

Proactively treating for intestinal worms with Prazipro is one thing. Treating an otherwise healthy fish with a solution containing a heavy metal is another.

Mike
 
If I'm reading this right the OP can't remove the copper as he has other fish in this QT that have ich.

If this is true it was a bad move to buy a new fish right now.
 
If I'm reading this right the OP can't remove the copper as he has other fish in this QT that have ich.

If this is true it was a bad move to buy a new fish right now.



Yes, I have other fish that have been in Qt with cupramine for 2 weeks now and Yes I agree it wasn't the best move to add another fish to the mix. However, I never intended it to go this way. I had this Black velvet on order for about 5 weeks and of course it comes in smack dab in the middle of my QT for ich.

I'm in a no win situation here; If I put the black Velvet into the Display tank its possible he could get ich (and not show immediate symptoms) and in the QT tank yes he is being treated with copper and seems to be handling it fine.

So its really 6 of one and a half dozen of the other

for the record, I always proactively treat with malachite green to be safe and especially if the collection habits are not known. I don't usually proactively treat with copper, but I believe treating proactively is a good habit.
 
I understand where you're coming from, but very much disagree. Would you take antibiotics without knowing what disease you had- if any? Medications are often misused in aquariums, and can lead to resistant strains of various pathogens (from bacteria to ich), and can have adverse affects on the animal's immune system leading to greater problems down the line (think increased susceptibility to bacterial infections after prolonged exposure to copper).

I always suggest that people QT their fish and begin simply by observing the animal. If there are signs of a specific issue- target that problem. Most "general" cures are ineffective anyhow. The Only exception I make to that rule is the use of Prazi. Gut worms are a common problem with virtually all wild fish, and the treatment doesn't seem to endanger the fish in any way. I deworm every fish I get right away.

I very much agree with this.
 
I would try Hikari Spirulina Brine. I haven't had a finicky angel pass on this.
I would definetly treat with Prazipro. All of the angels I've seen in MI LFS have
had flukes lately. What LFS did you order it from??
 
Where can I get prazipro? I ordered it Reef Solutions?

Can I treat with Prazipro and copper at the same time?

PS. He did eat a little of tropicorium green food and is acting normal
 
Back
Top